Din Tao: Leader Of The Parade
Fung Kai
The story: A-tai (Alan Kuo) is estranged from his father (Chen Po-cheng), the head of the Chiu-tien din tao troupe in Taichung. Returning home after a stint in Taipei studying rock music, A-tai throws down the gauntlet to a rival outfit. He has to prove that he can rally the troupe members together while fending off intimidating gestures from his competitor, the arrogant A-hsien (Alien Huang).
The film is inspired by the true story of Taichung’s Chio-Tian Folk Drums And Arts Troupe, which engages in din tao, the traditional Taiwanese practice of performing at religious festivals.
Chio-Tian is known for its exhilarating drumming performances as well as for its unusual way of seeking blessings for Taiwan – by circumnavigating the island on foot with their big drums and the full- body costumes of deities such as Prince Nezha.
The strongly localised story is probably the reason the film has struck such a chord at home. Din Tao’s box-office takings have exceeded NT$317 million (S$13.7 million), making it Taiwan’s top-grossing film of the year so far.
Unfortunately, the movie might have a harder time parlaying that success overseas.
It is a pity because the material definitely has potential. The religious rites and rituals are bursting with colour and sound and movement and writerdirector Fung Kai captures some of that excitement.
However, the first-time film-maker is unable to weave together an engaging drama from the many standard narrative elements here: the feud between father and son, the clash between tradition and innovation, the rivalry between different troupes and the inevitable triumph of the underdogs.
The Chiu-tien troupe also comprises a ragtag bunch of familiar types from the tomboyish girl to the outsider guy who turns out to be something of a drumming freak.
Despite his genuine affection for the characters and the subject, Fung’s handling of the story is often clunky, as if he has no idea how to propel it forward.
Take, for instance, the relationship between A-tai and A-hsien. The laughably exaggerated rivalry between the two is marked by bravado and posturing: A-hsien would turn up and hassle A-tai and his troupe in the midst of their training. And for some reason, Fung feels the need to make this point more than once, making the movie longer than it needs to be.
As a documentary, the film could have been fascinating. As filmed entertainment, unlike recent crowd-pleasing box-office hits from Taiwan such as Cape No. 7 (2008) and You Are The Apple Of My Eye (2011), Din Tao fails to drum up much excitement.
(ST)